


Dreams and Daddies Prequel

by Nikkie2571



Series: Nicholas and Daniel [8]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Adoption, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Autism, Babysitting, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Crying, Gen, Legos, Stuffed Toys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:15:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29918844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nikkie2571/pseuds/Nikkie2571
Summary: I had some sleepy thoughts about how "Dreams and Daddies" could have come to be, so I wrote them out before I was too tired to forget them.----Nicholas couldn't wait for Daniel to come play.
Series: Nicholas and Daniel [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1703986
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Dreams and Daddies Prequel

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Folken](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Folken/gifts).



Father was yelling again. Yelling about her, about him, about being mad. It was scary. He was holding the thing, the thing that went Kkk-shhh that he drank from and always made him angry. Nicholas didn’t like it. Nicholas pressed his hands over his ears, trying to block out the sound of the loud voice, but it didn’t help.

The ringing sound happened and the yelling stopped… for a moment.  
“Finally, he’s here,” Father said. “Now I can be free of you for an evening. You brat.”

Nicholas didn’t like the way Father talked. He didn’t know all of the words that he used, but they were said in a way he didn’t like. Like Father was trying to hurt him. It worked.

Nicholas peeped around the corner, letting the happy feeling fill up his body. Daniel was standing outside the door.

“Here,” Father said, handing Daniel something as he put on his coat. “Feed him or whatever. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Daniel nodded, and then Father was gone, closing the door with a slam.

Nicholas whimpered, covering his ears even though he was too slow to stop the sound from reaching him.

Hands gently gripped his wrists and Nicholas looked up into Daniel’s eyes. They were so pretty, dark and wonderful. Nicholas could look into them forever. So much better than Father’s eyes, which were red and small.

“Hey there sweetie,” Daniel said. “Your dad’s gone now.”

Nicholas nodded. He knew that. He’d heard him leave.

“P-play?” Nicholas asked, wanting Daniel to say yes.

“Sure,” Daniel replied, and Nicholas loved him.

He held Daniel’s hand and led him over to the chest filled with his things, pulling out the bumpy blocks.

“Play?” he asked again, holding one out to Daniel.

Daniel smiled, his eyes getting even more pretty. “You wanna build things today?”

Nicholas nodded, so glad that Daniel understood. Father didn’t like it that Nicholas didn’t have a lot of words, would get mad when he would just repeat himself. Kept saying he should “know more”. Nicholas didn’t understand what he meant, just that his words hurt, that he had failed somehow.

Daniel put a bumpy block down and Nicholas smiled. Daniel never acted like Nicholas failed. It made him so happy.

Nicholas put another bumpy block down on top of the first. He wanted to build it very tall.

“On top or beside?” Daniel asked.

Nicholas guided his hand, placing the third block on top of the second.

“Ttwee!” Nicholas cheered, clapping.

Daniel just kept smiling.

The door slammed open and Nicholas felt all his warmth disappear.

“I forgot car keys,” Father said.

Daniel stood up and Father walked all stompy funny towards them.

“What are you doing?” he asked, sounding mad already.

“Nicholas wanted to play with the legos,” Daniel replied, still smiling. It looked different. Nicholas wanted to hide, wanted Father to go away. He wanted his Daniel’s smile back.

Father’s eyes got smaller. “He can play on his own and I’m not paying you to play with him.”

Daniel’s smile didn’t change. “He asked me to play with him.”

Father made an unhappy noise. A very unhappy one.

“Did he say please?” he asked, staring right at Nicholas with eyes he didn’t like looking at. He’d failed again, hadn’t he?

“He didn’t have to,” Daniel replied.

Father breathed deeply for a few seconds, just staring. “Fine, whatever, do whatever the _fuck_ you want with him, I don’t care!” he yelled, turning around after.

Nicholas whimpered at how loud Father got, moving to cling to Daniel’s leg.

Daniel made a breathy sound. “It’s not like you do anything with him,” Daniel said quietly.

Father stopped. And then he turned.

“Are you questioning how I raise my child?” he asked, getting louder with each word. “Because _I_ am his father, not you!”

Nicholas clung to Daniel’s leg even tighter. He even closed his eyes.

Daniel made another breathy noise. “Yeah, right! Look at him, he’s _afraid_ of you! Kids shouldn’t be afraid of their dads!”

Nicholas was crying now, trying to be quiet. Father didn’t like it when he was loud.

“Get out of my house,” Father said.

Daniel didn’t move. “I thought you had some beer buddies to go hang out with. That’s why you have me look after Nicholas. And I’m for sure not leaving you here with him alone now that you’re mad!”

Father was silent for a very long time. And so was Daniel.

“You don’t want to leave him alone with me?” Father asked. “Fine then. Don’t. Take him for all that I care! He already took my wife from me, now he can _leave me the fuck alone_!”

Nicholas started sobbing, not caring that he was being loud anymore. It was already so loud here, he was sure it wouldn’t matter anymore.

Daniel crouched down and lifted Nicholas into his arms. “Oh Hunny,” he said softly, stroking his hair. It felt nice.

“Get out,” Father said. “Take him with you, I don’t _fucking care_ anymore.”

Daniel didn’t move. “I’ll be back for his things, just so you know.”

“GET OUT!” Father yelled, and Daniel walked away, taking Nicholas with him.

********

So. Daniel had a kid now. He guessed. Or would soon, probably.

He sighed, gathering a blanket from the trunk of his car one-handed and using it as a makeshift car seat. He’d never had a reason to own one and there was no way he’d be asking David for his anytime soon.

He buckled the still crying Nicholas into the backseat of his car, adoring the way the boy clung to his arm, but oh so saddened by why he felt the need to cling.

“Shhh, shh shh, calm down sweetheart, I’m not going anywhere,” he told the boy.

“No?” Nicholas asked, still clinging and sniffling.

Daniel ruffled his hair. “No,” he confirmed.

The boy sniffled and, quite reluctantly, let go.

Daniel smiled, closed the car door, walked to the driver’s side, leaning against it for just a second. Just a second to gather his thoughts.

He had an autistic three-and-a-half-year-old in his car. The kid wasn’t diagnosed, but it was just _so obvious_ . The delayed speech, the sound aversion, the need to touch everything and _put it in his mouth_. He even flapped his hands the rare times he was excited. And not a single bit of it was acknowledged by his dad, it seemed like. It hurt Daniel so much, to see that, and that wasn’t even the worst part.

Daniel opened the car door and sat in the driver’s seat, turning the car on and then twisting his body to look at Nicholas.

“See, still here,” he said. “Just like I said.”

The boy nodded but kept sniffling. God, fuck, just how was Daniel going to deal with that? Daniel sighed and turned to face back forwards. He’d think of solutions once he was home. Once the both of them were home.

********

Daniel had an old stuffed toy, sitting in a box from when he’d moved out. It was something he’d had as a kid, a little bear. He’d been stored away on the off chance that Daniel ever acquired some kids and… well, he guessed Nicholas was him quite literally acquiring a kid.

“This is Mr. Tubbs. He was my best friend, but I’m too old for him now, so maybe he can be your best friend, hm?”

Nicholas stared at the stuffed toy for a long time.

“Beh-Bess’ fuh-, fuh-, fuh-wen-dd?” he asked, looking so adorably confused.

Daniel smiled down at him. “He and I liked each other a lot. We never wanted to be apart. And we were so happy together.”

Nicholas furrowed his brow, clearly thinking for a moment, and then he looked up and pointed at Daniel.

“Bess’ fuh-, fuh-wen-dd?” he asked.

Daniel’s heart felt like it exploded with pity and joy. This boy, this poor poor boy.

“No sweetie,” he said, smiling as he shook his head. “Mr. Tubbs is going to be your best friend. Me… I’m going to love you. I’m going to be your Daddy.”

Nicholas blinked up at him. “Dh-dh-daaaddee?”

Daniel pressed a kiss to Nicholas’ forehead and wrapped him in a hug. “Yeah, Nicholas, I’m your daddy.”

“Daaaddee?” he heard Nicholas mutter to himself.

Daniel pulled back and patted his head. “Yeah, hun, your daddy. The one man who is supposed to always love you, never make you cry, make sure you’re always happy. To care for you always.”

Nicholas blinked at him again and his eyes started to tear up. “Dh-dh-dh-dh-dh-daaaaaaaaaaaaddddeeeeeeeeeee,” he sobbed. “L-l-l-luv daaaaddeeeeeeeee!”

Daniel hugged him again, tighter this time. He was never, ever, going to let him go.


End file.
